Recurring Herpes for cat

[IsabelleS]

Hello community,
I have a question(s) about my cat Thor aka the Chooch:
6 years old male cat Tuxedo, neutered
He's about 10 pounds, very chatty, loves to run around with his younger "brother".
Prefers shredded chicken and venison from Lotus and eats dry food.
When I rescued him for Petco in 2019 he had very watery eyes. I took him to the vet many times and they concluded it was a defective tear duct. About 6 months ago I just knew something was wrong with his eyes so I took him to an eye specialist who said he has herpes. We did 40 days of 2 different eye drops (Vigamox and Cidofovir) and 2 different oral medications (Famvir and Zithromycin). I took him back this week and the doctor says it's back and we need to do the protocol all over again. I'm just wondering if there is a more holistic approach to herpes so I don't have to pump him full of drugs.

Thank you,
Isabelle Shuman

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Welcome to HA! Isabelle.

Thanks so much for making your first post.

more holistic approach to herpes

Thanks as well for asking.

Yes!

Dealing with the underlying imbalance that is allowing the Herpes, or any infection, to persist is super safe, gentle and effective.

Perhaps start with the strategies described in the HA! 101 course.

Also, starting to shift the paradigm away from a germ-focused one to one focused on inner balance (inner "terrain") can start here:

A Way To Connect Modern Veterinary Medicine And Ancient Wisdom: An Introduction To Terrain Theory - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

You may also want to consider at least 1 year of rotating probiotics.

If he's not on one now, perhaps start with Felix's Flora from Adored Beast:

Pre & Probiotics

Pre & probiotics are an essential part of a healthy supplement regimen. Probiotics encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut, helping to crowd out harmful, disease causing bacteria. And prebiotics feed probiotics, allowing them to thrive! To keep your animal healthy, you want to help...

adoredbeast.com

 

[IsabelleS]

Thank you for responding Dr. Jeff. I forgot to write I give him Lysine powder as well as Fidospore probiotics daily.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome Isabelle!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Sorry, just now catching up with this thread! How much lysine? For flare-ups I give 1000 mg a day (divided in two), for maintenance 250mg.

When I was fairly new in practice I sent my refractory herpes cases to an ophthalmologist friend. They all came back as herpes. I ran into Matt at a luncheon and asked him, are they *all* herpes? Yup, pretty much all! Occasionally complicated with other things, but dealing with the virus is #1. Herpes never goes away, but it can be kept under control by a healthy immune system.

And that's what we do here at HA!, support the whole body, mental and emotional aspects, stress management, and proper nutrition!